Governor Patrick Visits Medford High
Governor Chooses MHS to Announce State’s Top Performance on National Exams
The Governor addressing MHS students. Members of the National Honor Society are on stage, while Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, MHS Headmaster Paul Krueger, and Education Secretary Paul Reville are on the left, and School Superintendent Roy Belson and Assistant Superintendent Beverly Nelson are on the right.
Governor Patrick visited the English Language Learner classroom of Ami Boardman. Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn is also pictured.
The Governor received some help from a student in Barbara Chyen’s Advanced Placement Calculus class.
Governor Deval Patrick visited Medford High School on Thursday to announce that Massachusetts students led the nation in English and Math scores on the 2009 Grade 12 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
According to information released by the Governor’s office, Massachusetts students had the highest scaled score in the nation on the math test and tied for top performance with New Hampshire and Connecticut while outperforming Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
More than 6,000 students from 94 high schools in eleven states participated in the NAEP exams. Massachusetts students also ranked or tied for first nationwide in both grades 4 and 8 on the English and Math exams in 2009.
“I am proud of the performance of our students, and today’s announcement reaffirms our position as a national leader in education. We will continue on this path of success and increase our efforts to ensure all students are prepared for the rigors of college and a future in the workforce,” said Governor Patrick in a statement.
At Medford High School the Governor met with students, faculty, and staff and dropped in on an English Language Learners classroom and an Advanced Placement Calculus class. He also addressed a student assembly, where he shared his story about his own education and how it helped him overcome growing up poor and attending run-down schools in Chicago.
In addition, Governor Patrick and Education Secretary Paul Reville and Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester all commended Medford for improving its performance on the MCAS exam.
MHS students have recorded significant growth in student performance on the MCAS exams, with over 80% of students reaching Proficiency and higher on both the English and Math exams and nearly 70% of the Science test – large increases from last year. The school has undertaken a comprehensive approach to teaching, learning and support for students including opportunities for peer mentoring, access to Advanced Placement and Honors courses, a strong emphasis on data informed instruction, options for students who need extra help through extended class periods in specific subjects, partnerships with Tufts University and Bunker Hill Community College, and a district-wide initiative to improve literacy and writing across the curriculum.
– InsideMedford.com